Hampden sheriff settles with family of woman who died in custody

The Hampden County Sheriff's Department will pay $600,000 to a family trust and change how it provides addiction treatment and other medical care to prisoners as part of a settlement in a lawsuit over the death of woman in its custody.

Madelyn Linsenmeir, 30, died in 2018 after she was arrested by Springfield police and was transferred to the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center. The lawsuit filed by her estate said Linsenmeir repeatedly reported health issues, including chest pain, to police and jail staff, but was never treated. She died days later in a local hospital where she was taken after she was found unresponsive in her jail cell.

The complaint alleged that Linsenmeir had endocarditis, a potentially fatal heart infection, and opioid use disorder when she was arrested. It said that police and jail staff were aware of her history of intravenous drug use and ignored her requests for medical attention.

Linsenmeir's online obituary prompted an outpouring of support for those with opioid use disorder.

"The settlement and the reforms that are being announced will help to ensure hopefully, that this doesn't happen again to anyone else's sister or daughter or mother," said Dan McFadden, managing attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, which helped negotiate the settlement. "Madeline's death was a tragedy, but we do hope that this settlement, achieved through the litigation process, brings at least a measure of justice for her and others who might be struggling."

The settlement requires the Hampden County Sheriff's Office to implement several policies, including more screening for medical conditions during the intake process, mandated wellness checks for all prisoners and improved treatment for those with opioid use disorder, including access to addiction medications.

Linsenmeir's sister, Kate O'Neill, said she hopes the new policies will help ensure that people struggling with addiction are treated more humanely. She said she believes her sister died of "neglect and bias" against people who use drugs.

"The women she was incarcerated with begged for help on her behalf after she was fully collapsed on the floor and could no longer ask for help herself," O'Neill said. "And they were told that she had done this to herself, that this was what happens when you use drugs. Hopefully, as a result of these policies, they won't be able to do someone else what they did to Maddie."

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the Hampden County Sheriff's Office offered condolences to Linsenmeir's family and said many of the changes outlined in the settlement were in effect before the settlement was finalized.

"The Hampden County Sheriff's Office remains committed to providing the highest quality healthcare to everyone in our custody, especially when it comes to addiction-related services," the statement said. " We are pleased that the case has been settled without the need for a lengthy and emotional trial.”

Last year, Springfield city officials reached a settlement that included an additional $900,000 payment to Linsenmeir's estate.